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(No Model.) y y y -J.F.,WILG10X &'B. M. PEARSON.-

lCllify' Press. No. 236,132. Patented Dec. 28,1880.

"v" .v o n S0 S F (f y' A S' S 0 y 6b o A' A e Y W M l5? PEIERS, PHOTO-UTHQGRAPRER, WASHINGTON, D C.

LNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. WILCOX, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, AND EDWARD M. PEABSON, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

CLAY-PRESS.

To all whom @t may concern:

Be it known that we, J oHN F. WrLcoX, of Allegheny, cou nty of Alleghen y, State of Pennsylvania, and EDWARD M. PEARSON, of Wheeling, county of Ohio, State of West Virginia, have invented or discovered a new anduseful Improvement in Clay-Presses; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating like partsf Figurelisaperspective view ofourimproved clay-press valve. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the discharge-port of the valve, such section being taken in the plane of the line ma', Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is an outline perspective view of the press, showing a succession of valves arranged thereon, and also illustrating other features of improvement, as hereinafter described.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in clay-presses used` in the preparation of potters clay; and it consists, in part, in the form and construction of the valve or valves, whereby a much stronger connection is made to the leaves ofthe press without cutting away the leaves at the points of attachment as much as heretofore; also, in the means employed for supporting the leaves and bringing them to their proper relative positions in the press, so that the different valves or their pipe ends may properly unite to form a continuous pipe across the press; also, in means for clamping or binding together the leaves of the press.

In the drawings, A A represent the leaves of the press, which may be of any desired size and number. These leaves are hollowed out on their adjacent faces, Within their boundary edges, so that when arranged in a pack, as in Fig. 3, they shall inclose chambers between such adjacent faces, Within which the usual bags are arranged. In these respects the leaves and bags are of the usual or any desired form.

In order to dry and prepare potters7 clay for use, it has been customary to force it into these bags under heavy pressure; and in order to conduct the clay to such bags valves have been used consisting of a section of a main or trunk SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 236,132, dated December 28, 1880,

Application filed November 18, 1880.

(No model.)

pipe, B, a branch pipe, B', leading from such section, a cock or plug, D, arranged. to open and close communication to the branch from the main section, and side Wings or plates, C, for 'attaching such valve to the side face of a leaf; but in such construction the branch pipe B has been made round or square in crosssection, and in setting or sinking it into the face of the leaf 4the leaf must be cut away to a depth on each side equal to half the diameter of this pipe. Such cutting away so'weakens the leaf that it is liable to break under the heavy pressure and strain to which it is subjected.

In order to avoid so deep a cut and still retain the requisite area of pipe, we iiatten it or make it elliptical in form, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the major diameter being in the plane of the plate O and of the leafA. A wider seat or cut is thus required in the face of the leaf; but, on the other hand,itis not as deep as would be required it' this branch pipe B were round, and consequentlythe leaf is strengthened at that point, and in that direction at or in which it is most subject to breakage. In order, also, to further strengthen the leaves at this point, as well as to give the valves a firmer and more rigid attachment, we make caps or top plates, C', extending at right angles to the side plates, O. These caps are adapted to rest upon and are bolted to the top edges of the leaves. Heretofore the only attachment has been by bolts through the side or face plates, C, and the entire strain was sustained by such bolts. This soon caused them to loosen, and thus not only throw the valves out of position, but also endanger the integrity of the leaves. By combinin g the attened pipe B with the cap-plate O we overcome these difficulties, strengthening the leaves, at the point of attachment of the valves, and also greatly increasing the stability, as Well as durability, of the valves. These valves are so arranged on the sucessive leaves that when the latter are bound in a pack, as in Fig. 3, the main pipe-sections B are in line, and, uniting end to end, form a continuous trunk or supplypipe. This union is secured by iitting one end, b, ot' each section into an annularrecess, b', made in the oppo site end of another section, the ends b and b' of two succeeding sections being adjacent. Then, when the leaves are bound together, these joints unite, making a continuons and practically tight pipe, which in ay be connected with any suitable supply and pressure apparatus in the usual or any desired way.

The bags which occupy the chambers between the leaves may be secured to the lower ends ofthe branch pipes B', between the shoulder c and nnt c', so that these pipes may discharge into their respective bags.

The manner of operating the parts thus far described is the same as in presses of this class heretofore in use. In order, however, to facilitate the operation of opening and closing the press, and to insure the proper coupling ot' pipe-sections B with precision, we arrange metal tracks c under the press, supporting them upon any suitable bed-timbers, E. We prefer to use two of these tracks, which are placed near the ends of the press, crosswise of the saine. On the under edge of each of the leaves are secured notched guides a, which are adapted in form to take the tracks c and bring the several leaves, when in upright position, into proper endwise adjustment to insure the entry or coupling ofthe abutting ends ot' the pipe-sections without that careful alignment and adjustment by hand which has heretofore been required for such purpose. The leaves of the press are bound or clamped together by means of rods 1', which are hinged orjointed at one end, s, to the buck-staves or upright bars S on the back of the press. The front ends of these rods i' rest in open slots s', made in the ends ofthe front buck-stavcs, S. Nuts i" on the ends of the rods serve to bind or nnbind the leaves, as desired.

By means of the hinged connection s at the back ends of the rods we greatly increase the ease and rapidity in manipulating the press, as the parts, when unbound, retain their rea-r connection, and it is only necessary to handle the front buck-staves, S', and the free ends of the binding-rods; and in order to increase the convenience of this last operation cords R may be attached to the free ends of the top rods, r, which cords may be carried over suitable pulleys and counterbalanced by weights, which will hold the rods up out of the way when the press is opened, as represented, by the two inner top rods, Fig. 3.

As heretofore made, both ends of the binding-rods have been received in open slots in the ends of the buck-staves, as at s'. The principal objection to suoli construction is that all the parts separate when unbound, and when it is desired to rebind the press these parts must be separately handled by the operator.

We claim herein as our invention- 1. A valve for clay-presses having a main pipe-section, B, a flattened or elliptical branch orinlet pipe or port, B', plug D, adapted to open and close passage from B to B', and cap and side plates, C' C, for affording attachment ot' the valve to the leaves of the press, substantially as set forth.

2. In a press for preparing potters clay, the combination of leaves A, in any desired number, pipes B B', attached to each of the leaves and adapted by coupling to form a continuous pipe across the press, tracks e, and guides a., the latter being attached to each ot' the leaves, and adapted, with tracks c, to bring the leaves into proper position to align the pipe-sections B of tite valves, substantially as set forth.

3. In a press for jireparing potters clay, the combination of leaves A, in any desired number, side buck-staves, S S', and clamping-rods r, the latter being hinged at one end to stares S at the back of the press, and adapted to be placed within and removed from slots s' in the ends of the staves S' on the front side ot' the press, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JNO. F. WILCOX. E. M. PEARSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN WV. SoHUL'rZ, L. A. SALADE. 

